After qualification, he practised first in Pitsea, Essex in the early 1960s and after a short spell on the Tottenham Court Road in Central London, he proceeded to work at practices in Southsea in Hampshire, and Canterbury and Ashford in Kent. More latterly, he worked for Rawling & Sons in Faversham and, in the 21st century, worked at Bailey’s Opticians in Dover where he delighted in the fact that he was working for a dispensing optician who was his former pre-reg student. A Founding Fellow of the College, he remained a great supporter of the College’s work. In 2002, he took up an additional role as one of the first cohort of College Regional Liaison Officers (RLOs) representing Kent. He reached the landmark of 50 years’ service in 2011.
In the early 1980s, he took up one of the two optometric posts at the Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS), based in Russell Square, where his responsibilities, among other things, covered advising ministers on instrumentation and ophthalmic dispensing. He was also responsible, at one stage, for ears, teeth and feet! When the DHSS decided to fund and encourage continuing education and training, it appointed John to the Joint Academic Board that was responsible for approving Optometric funding for CET courses. Subsequently, he was promoted to become its Chairman and when these funds were increased significantly, he was instrumental in proposing that the College administer them, resulting in the formation of a new directorate (DOCET). In the mid-1990s, he served the Medical Devices Directorate, and he continued to work at the Department of Health from its premises at Hannibal House, Elephant & Castle. He also represented the DoH on various British Standards ophthalmic committees, in particular Ophthalmic Lenses and Frames. When the Department withdrew from direct representation on BSI committees, the College nominated John as a College BSI representative.
